Is your memory foam topper degrading too quickly? Under normal circumstances, real, good quality, memory foam toppers should last five to ten years of usage. However, how old is the memory foam mattress topper that you bought from the shop? Is it brand new, or has it already been sitting in the warehouse for several years?
That said, the condition of any memory foam product may also degrade in the presence of smog and sweat. If you use aromatherapy products, there may also be some unexpected chemical interactions which will cause the memory foam in your topper to degrade. Using a second bedsheet, or buying a mattress cover, may help guard against these problems.
Thinner memory foam topper pads are probably made of 100% memory foam, and the density should be the same on both sides. These would degrade the same way. However, thicker foam pads made using older technologies will have one side that is denser, and one side that is less dense. You will normally sleep with the side that is less dense facing up, and this side will degrade faster. Some customers find that they get a second lease of life by turning their toppers over, so this is something you may want to try before spending money on a new mattress or topper.
Some types of memory foam mattress pads may actually be made of two layers of foam, with only one layer made of real memory foam and the second made of some cheaper foam. Better quality toppers of this type will use some kind of firm rebonded foam for the second layer, and this layer should be placed facing down so that you sleep on top of the memory foam layer. However, cheaper mattress foam toppers of this type will use a cheap foam for the second layer, and this layer will likely degrade faster than expected. Regardless, the strategy of turning over your topper to get more use out of it will not work.
Do you have the right expectations out of your memory foam bed topper? Some customers who live where there are four seasons complain that their mattress foam toppers degrade in less than a year. Some complain that it becomes harder, while others complain that it becomes too soft. This is usually due to the differences in temperature between summer and winter. Memory foam is temperature sensitive – it becomes softer in heat and firmer in the cold. So if you bought a foam topper with just the right firmness in winter, you may find that it becomes too soft in summer, and perceive this as a deterioration in your topper.
But the problem may not be with the foam at all. For some, the real problem lies with their underlying mattresses. There are many who buy a memory foam topper as a cheap fix for a sagging mattress, against the manufacturer’s recommendation. Everything seems fine, at first. But after a while, the mattress sags even more, and the topper can no longer act as a buffer against this additional deterioration.
Is your memory foam mattress topper deteriorating too fast? Before you swear off all memory foam bedding products, you may want to make sure the problem is really with the foam.